Apple’s second-generation in-house processor is likely to be announced at the beginning of next month, according to industry rumours.
The so-called M2 is expected to be revealed on 8 March during the tech giant’s first media event of 2022, where will likely see at least one new MacBook. However, the chip will reportedly power an assortment of new Apple devices, including a 13-inch MacBook Pro, a Mac mini, a 24-inch iMac, and a newly-redesigned MacBook Air.
That's according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, who revealed the rumours in his Sunday newsletter, describing the M2 as “a bit speedier” than 2020’s M1 chip.
Although the M2 is expected to retain the same eight-core architecture as the M1, its graphics are likely to get a boost, going "from seven or eight cores to nine or 10”, Gurman said over the weekend.
The M2 was initially believed to be unveiled during last year’s virtual 18 October event, yet Apple decided to equip 2021’s 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro devices with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.
Similarly, Gurman expects the M2 to receive its own Pro and Max versions in 2023, “alongside the first M3 chip”.
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Other Apple releases scheduled for 2022 include a new Mac mini with an M1 Pro chip, a larger iMac Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max chip options, as well as a new, smaller Mac Pro, which is likely to be powered by architecture equivalent of “either two or four M1 Max chips”, according to Gurman.
“While we’ll get new Macs in March, I’m told Apple is already gearing up for another round of Mac releases around May or June,” he added.
Gurman’s newsletter echoes rumours shared by an iOS developer in July 2021, which predicted that the M2 processor would be unveiled in early 2022 and power a range of new colourful MacBook Air options, which are now expected to go on sale in time for the 2022 holiday season.
The iOS developer said that the M2 is “most likely” to be built “on the same foundation” as iPhone13’s A15 chip, after previously also predicting the M1 chip’s inclusion in the most recent iPad Pro lineup.
